


The Curse of Loneliness

by little_shinra



Series: Shukita Week 2019 [5]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Mythology, Celtic Mythology & Folklore, Curses, Fairy Tale Curses, Forests, Loneliness, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-01-23 02:29:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18540463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/little_shinra/pseuds/little_shinra
Summary: The forest was dangerous. It could kill you, it could curse you. It was like many places the young man has brushed past in his long life that many warned of. Places that carried a supernatural populace that barely paid him mind when he traveled through. It was to this place he was going to leave behind his connections.Day 5 of Shukita Week 2019: Inspiration





	The Curse of Loneliness

The forest was dangerous. It could kill you, it could curse you. It was like many places the young man has brushed past in his long life that many warned of. Places that carried a supernatural populace that barely paid him mind when he traveled through. It was to this place he was going to leave behind his connections.

As much as the people pleaded, there was little that resonated against the man's resolve. Getting away was the most important thing. Especially when you cared too much for your prey.

Ren traveled across the town, meeting with the edge of the forest that lined next to the river. An old road has been beaten in the dirt from years, generations of use. It was left to let nature take it back, as folk have less need for it, with easier means to the cities now and a growing fear made of ignorance for the darkness in between the packed trees. He made his way across, further ignoring the warnings of the passersby, and started into the old forest path.

The silence took in, replacing the sounds of the townspeople the deeper he went. The sunlight peeked between the leaves, shining on the dirt ground and greenery below in spots. Ren held his hand out, brushing against the tall brushes of flora and the low hanging tree branches here and there. So peaceful. And safe. Didn't need to worry about being followed by his “devotees.” He stretched his arms up to the sky and breathed deeply.

_Finally, some solitude._

Ren wandered the old path before interesting things took his attention and pulled him off the trail. He could feel the life that lived and roamed the forest, some even clearing way from him as a potential threat (even if such instincts would prove false). Creatures that would mind their business and let him mind his own. Such an arrangement was ideal.

Ren cleared the dense forest and came upon a cliff. Following to the top without thought, he could see over the tips of the trees where the town was, with red roofs expanding into the green horizon. A rooted tree stood there, proudly showing its form and shading the cliff face from the increasingly cloudy, late afternoon sun.

Ren touched the thick trunk of the tree.

“What a precarious place you've grown on.”

The branches above him shuffled. Ren looked up. Staring back at him were a pair of red eyes. He took a sharp intake of breath.

“Who are you? Human?” The owner of the eyes spoke. “You don't belong here.”

“Personally, I find I don't belong anywhere,” Ren quipped. “Thank you for the reminder.”

The creature climbed down. Its whole figure was black as a raven, save for those eyes. Feathers covered its body from shoulders to knees. Its hair a wild blend that Ren struggled to tell if it was actually feathers or real hair. Its hands were long talons and legs akin to that of a dog's. It towered over Ren like a long shadow in the evening.

“You shouldn't be here. It's the woods,” the creature said.

“Woods are quiet. Not something one should dismiss easily for the peace it carries.”

The creature wrapped a hand under Ren’s chin, the tips lightly pricking the skin. Ren didn't flinch.

“Even when those same woods harbor creatures as myself? That’s foolish.”

Ren smirked. “You have a rather human face. You're not the most terrifying thing I've have the fortune of meeting.”

Ren felt more miffed than anything at the situation. He didn't want to meet anything conscious, or any _one_ , for the matter. This creature was a nuisance.

“You caught me amid a nomadic journey to some well-deserved solitude. That’s rude of you.”

The creature pulled away.

“You're an odd one. Most humans would be fleeing by now.”

Ren’s brow raised. “How long have you been a creature of this forest?”

The sound of thunder rolled in. The creature looked up at the sky, sniffing.

“The storm's rolling in faster than I thought.”

It turned away, heading back into the forest proper.

“Just going to leave it like that?” Ren called after.

“What you do is not my problem now.”

Another boom roared above him. The warm sun from earlier was shrouded behind dark clouds, the wind picking up and nearly pushing Ren backwards, biting coldly through his light clothes.

“Great.”

-

Through the eyes of others, Ren’s current state would be equivalent to an angry, drowned cat. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself for warmth, back pressed against the thick trunk of a tree. The occasional drops that got through the sheltering branches landed on his head like ice stones. He rubbed at the area, his mood further prodded at.

Normally, the rain was something he didn’t mind. It could bring life; it could drown life. It made the world shine all the more in the sun after it passed. It brought blessing to the most beautiful scenic sights he had found. However… There was a big difference between giving it no mind when one is sufficiently sheltered and when one is plagued by the cold, damp grip it places on everything it touches. The latter was abysmal and made Ren begrudgingly regret to not have taken heed of the signs of the rain before coming to the forest.

When the rain showed no sign of rolling past the area, Ren reluctantly left his coverage and continued further into the forest, jumping from tree to tree for shelter. Ren was soaked through in quick procession. The capricious wind went right through him, going all the way through his bones. The shivering was uncontrollable.

All Ren had in mind was finding a dry place to hide in. Preferably one that could allow a fire.

_There has to be something left behind._

The old beaten path through the forest returned. Ren followed it to what should be east, which would lead to a manmade bridge that allowed passage to the next human settlement past the river. He wondered if that would be considered a town or city now, or even if it was still surviving. People were hardly going through here thanks to their fear. Ren barely paid attention to these things.

As he came to where the bridge would be, the red roofing of a cottage came to view. As if the sky cleared overhead in that moment, Ren’s mood lifted. Ignoring the chill that wore down his body, he went for it. It looked very much intact, with white brick making its walls and the familiar red roof tiles he’d seen back in the town he entered from. A chimney stood out from the side, with a white smoke coming from it; the clear signal of a means of fire.

It did seem odd for that fact. It should be a relic. The young man brushed it off and approached the door, opening it. He looked inside and his mood soured.

“You again.”

The house was mostly abandoned by its appearance alone, save for the red eyed creature crouching in it and staring at him.

“Yours?” Ren asked.

“Yes,” the creature answered simply.

“It's nice,” Ren eyed the fireplace. “Don’t suppose you could spare the warmth for a frozen creature like me?”

“If you’re that comfortable being in the presence of a monster such as myself, I see no reason to refuse.”

Ren hummed as he closed the distance to the fire. “As I said, you’re not the most frightening thing I’ve met.”

The sound of the storm filled the space between them as Ren sprawled himself in front of the fire, drying his soaked clothes on a wooden rack and his chilled, exposed body with its warmth. His muscles loosened up and he could begin the feel the ends of his limbs again. Sleep nearly took hold of him before the creature’s voice drove it away.

“I noticed you didn't bring anything into the forest. You won't survive long like that.”

Ren lazily waved a hand in its direction. “It's fine. I'm low maintenance. What I require is beyond simple food and sleep.”

The creature tilted his head. “You're a weird human if you believe that.”

Ren barked out a laugh.

“You really are young if you've no idea what I am,” he leaned up. “You got a name?”

The creature blinked, looking away as he pondered for the information. “…Yusuke.”

“You know what you are?”

He answered without missing a beat. “A beast. A child of the forest. Why you ask?”

“No reason. Just trying to figure out why a child of the forest would be so ignorant of me.”

Ren noticed Yusuke’s feathers puff.

_Oh, hit a sore spot._

“You’re not from here. I’ve never seen a human carry such arrogance like you.”

Ren grinned. “You _are_ young. How cute.”

The feathers puffed even further. Ren buried the laugh in his chest. If it weren’t for Yusuke’s dark skin, would he have witnessed a red blush as well?

“Don’t taunt me,” Yusuke hissed, exposing his sharp teeth.

“Am I really the first one you’ve met that hasn’t run off screaming? If others knew how green you are, you’d be nothing more than an adorable lamb,” Ren’s smile didn’t waver. “Because you are even less intimidating for that fact.”

“…You’re a frustrating presence. Leave when you finish.”

“When the storm passes, I’ll be more than happy to get back to my solitude.”

The sky darkened and the rain continued down with a fearsome strength. Ren glanced up a few times at the ceiling, concerned the storm was going to bring a hole through it. It held strong. The flames of the fire colored the cottage interior in soft oranges, with dancing shadows playing at the corners. It almost made Yusuke’s own red eyes and black feathers stand brightly with them. Yusuke fed another log into the fire. As the night took the world, the stars eaten by the storm as the sun earlier that day, Ren let his eyes close and curled in the chair he sat on, fully clothed and dry. In the warmth of the room, sleep crept in again, drawing his mind away from the waking world, away from the company nearby him.

Once the storm passed, he would be back to the absence of others, to the safety of their minds from his presence. The very reason he couldn’t let slip from his goals. Solitude is everything. Even with the consequence of loneliness. 


End file.
